Drive mechanism



Sept. 28, 1943. R. w. CANFIELD DRIVE MECHANISM Filed Feb. 12, 1941 2 w TF E 3 M Mr Mm in w A a QR H mm M Patented Sept. 28, 1943 entree stares :PAJTENrY ime M nard ca,nee1a ci wn. a s a er to .Clenison -B,r os., Inc., MiddletowmnN. 1 ,a.

corporeitionjofNcw York application February 12, 1941,-Se1ial N. $7853 8 warms. (01.19am) This invention relates to drive "mechanisms, and more particularly to a one-way shuttle pin "drive especially adapted for-use in l-awn mowers to drive the cutting feel.

The shuttle pin type -of drive as'heretofore applied to lawn -m'owershas been fou'nd tohave several defects. In thecons'truotionwhich has been much used in the past, the beatingama has been laterally displaced as' compared with the center of driving engagement between the shuttle-pinand the pi-nion gea-r or other element with which the 'cliitc -h is associated and the space in which the shuttle pin has ope tedhas ofiered nobearing forthepiniohgealr.

resulted in wobbling 10f the :gear on shaft due to .[the eccentric hammering il-0m Ethe shuttle pin when it engagesainitheipinion. *iI his in turn causes rapid wear and 'noisy--.gears, and in .general rapid edeterioration of ithe assembly.

It is one object (of this invention etoaeliminate better wearing, Imoreicertain'iofiengagementithan =prior :shrittlepin:clutches, and which awill'dntroe duce a minimum of rf'riction =wlien the relatiue movements of the shaft and ipinion earefzsuch thatx'n'o engagement should occur. I v

Another object of my invention is to allow the use of a narrower center to center wheel distance with the same cutting width.

In the accompanying drawing and the following description, I have shown and described a number of preferred embodiments of my invention and various modifications thereof and have suggested various alternatives. These are not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but on the contrary are given for the purpose of illustrating the invention and instructing others in the principles thereof and the best manner of adapting the invention to practical use, in order that others may be enabled to modify it and apply it in numerous forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions and requirements of any particular use.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional View of a pinion and shuttle pin drive mechanism made in accordance with the preferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2' is an end {section taken along the line 2=2-'of'Fig." 1;and Fig. 3 is-an "endsectionview=of a modified form ofmy inventionq Referring '{first to the drawing, )I 'havefslhown 'a torque transmitting means,- e. g, a share; I, which in the case Pillirstratedis the shaft -o'5 th'e cutter reel of "a rotary lawn mower. -'-I"l'xiss'ha't is slotted atQZ, near its ends and is provided 'in said slots with shuttle pins 4, and -is "supp'orted by bearings, e. g.; the ball bear in'g 1 8 Each shut-tle -pin i loosely in its' slot andas preff erably of uniform 'section so as to s'lide Lea'sily to any'position- I s 1 "Qver each 'end of the shaft "and shuttle pin is slipped the pinion 'gearfi, which in this case is the drive'n member. :Inside, :the pinion gear is cut to the modified olover leaf fornnas shown, with the three sp'a'ces |2,--contoured. so itha'tcat any angle there is sufficient length :betw'eemthe opposite walls :-;to receive the 'ientire ilength oflthe shuttle pin, and'withisloping walls zit :toucamzthe shuttle pin from one :space throu h .thelslotinto the opposite :space. Thus, :if the apinionds :ro-. *tated in one direction the. shuttle .pin will came ,against tone :of the shoulders 302.13 the :end .of

onewspace-rand =.it- -willimake a direct :engaging' drive connection .betweenithe shaftxan'd the min;- 'ion. If, on the .otherhandpthe pinion is rotated in the opposite direction, .theshuttle ipin .will be cammed freely back and forth through .the slot 5 11 5, t t m i es- Isa-ther fbeinsxn ad i e in *that d r t on- {th -spa es 152 a 'z rf rml das-t leave shoulders l6 which are fitted to and provide the bearing surface on the shaft. These bearing surfaces run the entire Width of the pinion and are made to be swedged against the shaft, and will maintain the bearing surface in intimatecontact in spite of wear occurring. The pinion gear may be satisfactorily either a die-casting or a cut steel or bronze gear to produce this effect. It will be noticed from the construction that a gear made according to my invention is symmetrical, and

it is an important advantage of my invention that instead of requiring right and left hand .pinions, the same pinion is used on both sides ported twist of the pinion toward or away from the shaft.

The pinion may be prevented from Slipping endwise of the shaft, as in prior mower designs, by the frame or housing of the machine or,- as

shown, the bearing l8 on one'side and-the wheel 7 on the other which may be positioned close to the end of the shaft so as to allow the pinion little or no end play.

It is to be understood, of course, that while I have shownthe spaces 12, in which the shuttle pin moves, to be of a particular shape, this shape is not essential tomy invention; and many other forms and shapes are suitable, and 'particularly if difierent numbers of spaces are used.

, In Fig. 3, I have shown a form of construction utilizing a straight shuttle pin, rectangular in cross-section, and without projections.

The shuttle pin, as'shown in Fig. 3, is advantageously of resilient metal so that by yielding, as

hereinafter set forth, a part of the shock of engagement is absorbed without being transmitted to other parts of the mechanism.

' The shoulders Ma, as shown, are curved somewhat'away from the relaxed form of the shuttle pin 4a, so that they engage the pin first at its outer end and engagementis increased gradually down to the shaft as the pin yields resiliently. This allows the resilient pin to take up the shock of engagement and avoida hammering of the parts which in existing drives has caused excessive noise and rapid deterioration.

The shuttle pin might have other shapes or mightbe tapered or curved in one way or .the other. While I have shown in the figures a pinion 6, this is not an essential part of my present invention and, for example, the member thus associated with the clutch might be a' sprocket wheel driven by a chain or a pulley fora belt drive, or any other rotating part.

What I claim is:

1. In a construction including a rotatable shaft and an annular member coaxially mounted thereon, the periphery of the annular member constituting a driving surface, an overrunning clutch for establishing a driving connection between said member and said shaft upon relative movement thereof in one direction which comprises, a shuttle pin diametrically slidable in said shaft, said pin being of greater length than the diameter of the shaft and of lesser width than the length of the annular member, said annular member having a central bore therein receiving said shaft in bearing engagement and having an odd number of like recesses therein in communication with the bore and equally spaced circumferentially thereabout, all of the recesses having a sloping cam face at a common end for camming the shuttle pin diametrically, and a substantially radial face for engaging the side of the shuttle pin, the bore and the recesses in said member all extending for the full axial length of said annular member, the mid point of the width of said shuttle pin and the mid point of the length of said annular member lying in a common plane normal to the axis of said shaft, whereby the shuttle pin is centered with respect ot the moment of force applied to the driving member.

2. An overrunning clutch for establishing a driving connection between a rotatable shaft and an annular member coaxially mounted on said shaft, upon relative movement thereof in one direction, which comprises a shuttle pin diametrically positioned in and slidably engaging said shaft, said pin being resilient and of greater length than the diameter of the shaft, said annular member. having a 'central bore receiving said shaft in bearing engagement and having an odd number ofqlike recesses therein in communication with the bore and equally spaced circumferentiallly-thereabout, all of said recesses having a sloping cam face at the same end thereof for camming the shuttle pin diametrically and an approximately radial'face at :the opposite end thereof for engaging the side of the shuttle pin, said latter face being slightly'curved in a direc tion toward the cam face of the same recess whereby to engage first the end of the shuttle 'pin and gradually more of its length and thus to absorb at least a part of. the shock of engagement in resilient flexing of said pin against said curved face, the mid point of the width of said shuttle pin and the .mid .point of the axial length of said annular member lying in a common plane normal to the: axis of said. shaft, whereby the shuttle pin is centered with respect. to the moment of force applied to the driving member.

RICHARD W. CANFIELD. 

